Fuzzy Handcuffs
by sitabethel
Summary: Yugi and Marik are so absorbed with calling their lovers back from the dead, that nobody notices Mariku until the knife is already pressed against Ryou's throat. Minor PUZZLESHIPPING/ minor THIEFSHIPPING/ minor unrequited HEARTSHIPPING/ and lots of DEATHSHIPPING/ M RATED
1. Chapter 1

*****If you follow millieyre on Tumblr you may have noticed that she drew a really cute sketch from _Kill Me_ _Tomorrow_ , so I wanted to write something as a thankyou. The prompt was for a post canon, apartment setting, fluff-centric deathshipping fic with a Dom!Mariku lemon. (ssssooooo . . . hope you like this millieyre!) This is a three chaptered fic, and I'll post 1 chapter each day. There are actually no fuzzy handcuffs in the entire story. The title was kinda a joke in my head because I was trying to reconcile fluff and a strong, dominate Mariku lemon within the same fic and that made me think of a pair of fuzzy handcuffs - yeah, we all know by now that I suck at titles.*****

* * *

In the sunlight, Yugi's hair reminded Ryou of tri-colored stain-glass. The strands glowed vibrant magenta, the bright color creating the perfect contrast to the dark onyx and pale blonde. Ryou rested his chin on the heel of his palm, elbow resting on the table. He smiled a little as he watched the dainty way in which Yugi sipped his cappuccino in order to avoid collecting foam on his lips. They sat outside a small cafe, drinking various drinks and wasting the afternoon chatting.

"It must be hard," Marik sighed, pausing to drink the straight espresso from his own cup. "With Anzu in New York, Jounouchi and Honda working all the time, and Kaiba... well..."

Yugi laughed. "You mean with Seto Kaiba being nothing less than Seto Kaiba?"

"Yes."

"At least I have Ryou." Yugi rested his hand on Ryou's shoulder. "He never lets me get bored."

Ryou blushed at the compliment. "Thanks, Yugi."

Marik gave them a warm smile, and Ryou didn't trust it. He knew the real Marik, bickering with the Ring-Spirit during Battle City, smirking instead of smiling. Marik wasn't a _bad_ person. However, he wasn't a _nice_ person either, and his current happy expression told Ryou that he wanted something from them.

"Do you have any regrets? About the Ceremonial Duel?"

Yugi set down his cup, his eyes rueful. "No."

Marik looked surprised, and a touch worried. "Really? You don't miss him at all?"

"Of course I do. Everyday. He was my partner - my other me - but that's why I had to... It's hard to explain, especially since I know you both had problems with your othersides."

Ryou frowned into his mocha. He often wished that Yugi showed the same fondness, the same love, when he spoke of Ryou as he did when he spoke of Atem. Nonetheless, although he and Ryou had grown close, even slightly intimate, Ryou was just an odd boy with a horror fetish and a love of games. He could never compete with Atem - with a _Pharaoh_. He was a little, white shadow - there, but insubstantial.

Marik leaned closer. "What would you say if I knew a way to bring him back?"

Ryou couldn't help the laugh. It was small and quiet, almost a sniffle instead of a chuckle, but he couldn't help it. Marik was too transparent. He didn't care about Yugi and Atem - Marik wanted The Ring-Spirit back.

"What? Do you believe it isn't possible?" Marik asked Ryou, mistaking his reaction as skepticism.

Ryou shrugged. He was trying to think of how to respond, when Yugi blurted out. "C-can you really bring him back?"

Marik leaned forward over the table, holding up a scrap of parchment between his pointer and middle finger. "I found this spell by chance."

Yeah, _chance_. Ryou believed _that_ story. "What's the catch?"

Marik glanced at Ryou. He smiled, but Ryou saw the annoyance behind the lilac. "Ancient Egypt had magicians that knew how to use _heka_. But we don't, and none of us have our Items anymore, so I don't think any one person is capable of casting this spell."

"Oh." Yugi stared at his cup.

The hurt expression stabbed Ryou's chest. He couldn't stand to see Yugi look sad, so he sighed and turned back to Marik. "But you think all three of us together could do it?"

Marik smiled again, this time it was more sincere. "Yes."

"But what's the catch?" Ryou repeated.

Marik shrugged, as if magic were a small thing like learning to ride a bike or doing a handstand for the first time. "Magic has to balance. If all of us cast the spell..."

Ryou finished the sentence. "All of our other halves return."

Yugi's eyes rounded with horror. "Oh. No. No. I couldn't ask you to do that for me. Not either one of you. That would be irresponsible."

Marik splayed his hands in a helpless gesture. "The Items are gone, Yugi. Our other halves wouldn't be able to cause anymore trouble than any other person, and if they did, they'd have to deal with the police."

"Still..." Yugi sighed. "I can't be that selfish. If they hurt someone else, just so I could see Atem again... I'd never forgive myself."

Ryou sighed. He couldn't, _couldn't_ , handle seeing Yugi sad. He would do _anything_ to make Yugi happy - even if that meant giving him Atem and insuring Ryou himself would be lonely again.

"Honestly, Yugi, I don't think my other half would cause too much trouble if he came back." Ryou glanced at Marik, whose lavender eyes pleaded for Ryou to continue, and suddenly Ryou felt bad for them both. "I think he'd have other things to worry about if he was in his own body - like finding a place to stay and paying for groceries. You can't really plot revenge when you're busy trying to survive."

That was a partial lie. He knew the old thief never had trouble surviving and hating at the same time, but Ryou also knew it was what Yugi needed to hear.

"Same with mine," Marik agreed. "It's not like I'd let him move in with me."

Ryou thought the statement ironic, since that's exactly what Marik planned to do with Ryou's other half, but he didn't comment on the matter.

"You really think so? That they'd just want to be alive and not cause trouble anymore?" Yugi asked.

Marik nodded, reminding Ryou of Namu. "Sure! There's no more Items, so it's not like they could deal out Penalty Games."

"That's true." Yugi smiled. "And I could see Atem again. I do miss him. I miss him so badly. What do we need to cast the spell?"

"I can get the ingredients. It's nothing difficult - mostly clay and water and grain to represent the human body."

"Okay." Yugi's face all but glowed. "When should we meet?"

"In three days. The moon will be full and that will help the spell's magic - since the moon and magic are both associated with Thoth."

"Thank you, Marik!" Yugi jumped and hugged the other boy. "You, too, Ryou!" Yugi grabbed Ryou next.

Ryou sighed, inhaling Yugi's scent, knowing it was the last time they'd ever be this close.

* * *

Three days later and Ryou stood in his kitchen, rubbing sand from his eyes. They'd decided to do the spell in his apartment because Ryou lived alone. He hadn't slept well since their visit with Marik at the cafe, and passed out on the couch at about 8 PM. He woke up near 11 PM when Marik and Yugi knocked on his door, and he still wasn't completely awake yet.

"You okay?" Yugi touched Ryou's shoulder.

Ryou smiled, as he always did when Yugi touched him, no matter how gently. "Sure. Just tired."

"Make sure you get some rest after we leave."

"Of course." Another lie. Ryou knew he would stay up all night staring at the ceiling and feeling alone instead of sleeping, just as he had the last few nights. "It will be nice to see Atem again."

Yet another lie. Ryou wondered when he became such a grand liar.

"I know, right? I'm so excited I can't stand it! I feel like my heart's going to punch out of my chest!"

So did Ryou's, but for different reasons.

"Okay." Marik stood up from the floor, wiping clay off of his hands and onto his pants. "We're ready."

Ryou stared at Marik for a moment, noticing how Marik dressed - tight, mid-riff-showing black and crimson top, with matching black slacks. Yugi was dressed a little more conservatively, but still looked like he was going on a date. Ryou wore his pajamas - having no lover to call back from the dead had him less enthused than the other two for the ritual. His hair tossed about his head, disorganized from sleeping on the sofa, and he padded around barefoot, but no one paid his sloppy looks any attention.

They stared at the kitchen floor. A summoning circle lined the tile in chalk and three dolls made of clay and dough lay in the center of the circle.

"What do we have to do?" Yugi asked.

"All we have to do is hold hands while I chant the incantation," Marik answered.

"What? No blood? No sacrifice? What kind of spell is this?" Ryou joked. "In the movies, there's always at least a few drops of blood for this kind of magic." He understood the dough and clay represented human lives and their corporeal forms, but blood seemed so much more fun when one defied the gods and brought the dead back to life - or in Marik's case, bringing his childhood past _to_ life, since his other half never exactly lived or died beforehand.

It was a harmless joke, but Ryou felt guilty at the horror-struck look Yugi gave him.

He sighed. "Just kidding, Yugi."

"Sometimes I worry about the effect all those movies have on you."

Marik shook his head, as if dismissing a child, and took Ryou's and Yugi's hands. They closed their eyes as Marik spoke in a old Egyptian dialect that Ryou couldn't decipher, although he knew some Middle Egyptian from sharing a mind with a tomb thief.

It was a rather disappointing spell. No lightning, no ground shaking, or light flickering. No feel of terror kissing the nape of Ryou's neck - just some college students standing in his kitchen as Marik rambled a chant that seemed to go on forever. Ryou shifted from one foot to the other, bored out of his mind. Yugi squeezed his hand, and Ryou stopped squirming, but he was starting to feel bitter. He was already giving up Yugi, letting Yugi's happiness surpass his own. He should at least be able to _fidget_.

Ryou's toes felt tingly, like they were falling asleep, before Marik's voice finally stopped. Ryou opened his eyes, gasping despite himself when he saw the three bodies sleeping on the floor. He wondered why the former tomb-robber looked like Ryou - more disheveled, like always, but similar - instead of the tanned, scarred thief that Ryou saw during his other half's final RPG. He looked at Atem and noticed his skin was pale, like Yugi's, so they'd both come back looking like they were still in their hosts' bodies. He supposed it had something to do with them casting the spell, but didn't have a chance to ask Marik.

Yugi dropped to his knees, brushing happy tears off his cheeks with the back of his hands. He reached out, fingers shaking, and brushed his fingertips across the Pharaoh's lips. "Atem? Is... is it really-"

Emotion didn't allow Yugi to finish the sentence, but his touched made the Pharaoh stir from the floor, and flutter his eyes open. "Yugi?"

Yugi nodded. "Is this okay? Is it okay? That I brought you back?"

Atem looked around, disoriented. Then, he looked at his hands, his legs, his feet. Once he seemed to absorb everything, he grabbed Yugi's cheeks, brushing their noses together. "Of course, _aibou_ , of course it's okay. Good to see you again."

More tears slipped down Yugi's cheeks and Atem kissed them away.

Ryou had to turn away, unable to watch. For a distraction he looked at Marik. He looked afraid, staring at Bakura still sleeping on the floor, as if Marik knew his reunion wouldn't be as sweet as Yugi's.

Then Bakura blinked himself awake and gave Ryou a puzzled look when his eyes focused. He saw Marik a moment later and smiled, and for a moment Ryou thought maybe they'd embrace in a flurry of joyful tears and butterfly kisses just like Yugi and Atem. However, Yugi's happy laughter brought Bakura's attention to Atem and he snarled.

"You bastard!" Bakura lunged for the Pharaoh, grabbing his throat, slamming his head against the cold, tiled floor, and throttling him.

Ryou and Marik dropped to the kitchen floor, hooking their arms beneath Bakura's armpits and trying to drag him away from the Pharaoh. He looked the same height and weight as Ryou, but adrenaline and a 3,000 year old determination made the former Ring-Spirit difficult to pull back.

"Let go! I have to fucking kill him!" the Ring-Spirit snarled, reaching out his hands towards Atem as he was pulled to the other side of the kitchen.

"Bakura, stop it," Marik hissed, straddling on top of _Bakura's_ lap and squeezing him. It wasn't to restrain him. Marik was trying to comfort him.

Bakura punched Marik's shoulders, his rush of strength fading as Marik embraced him. "Let me go. You fucking asshole, let me go. _He doesn't deserve to live_."

Ryou stood and watched them. He imagined Yugi and Atem stood and watched as well. It was odd to see. _Bakura_ continued to curse both Marik and the Pharaoh, and Marik smiled like each punch to his chest was a kiss as he whispered into Bakura's hair.

Ryou was so lost in the scene, that he forgot about the third body on the floor until he felt himself jerked back by the hair and a cold, thin tickle pressed into his throat. Then, instead of watching Marik and Bakura, everyone was staring at Ryou.

"What's _he_ doing here?" Bakura snarled at Marik.

"It was all or none," Marik said. His cold, focused lilac eyes glared behind Ryou.

"Please don't," Yugi begged. He stood with his hands held out in a desperate stop gesture. "Don't. Don't. Don't. We'll do anything you want. Just don't hurt him."

"What the fuck is going on?" Marik's other half asked.

"We brought everyone back, so you can have a second chance," Yugi said, his wide eyes so innocent and believing of his own words that Ryou felt sorry for Yugi despite the itch of kitchen-knife steel irritating his own skin.

A paused stretched out in the kitchen, and then Marik's other half laughed. Ryou felt hot breath tickle his right ear and guessed that his captor was staring at Marik.

"You manipulated them."

"So what if I did?" Marik spoke low, glaring at his other half. "Why do you care? You wanted a body. Now you have your own. Get out of here and go use it."

"Wait..." Yugi's wide, violet eyes shifted from Ryou to Marik, the truth just now dawning on him. "You mean... you, you were using us? To get Bakura back? Why? I don't understand..."

"What are you planning?" Atem asked, mouth bent in a suspicious frown. He stood a few centimeters in front of Yugi, as if protecting him from everyone else in the room.

"They're not planning anything," Ryou spoke, although it made a hot tickle roll down his throat. He kept his kitchen knives sharp and clean, so he didn't feel the cut, only the surprising heat of his own blood. "Marik wanted my other half back for the same reason Yugi wanted you back, that's all. I knew what he was doing the whole time."

Both Yugi and his other half glanced at Marik. Marik stared at the floor while Bakura's eyes darted back and forth between Atem and Marik's other half. Ryou was rather sure he was trying to figure out how he could kill both of them before either one had a chance to retaliate.

"It's okay," Ryou said, the tickle on his throat growing wider. He didn't think it was a deep cut. He wasn't dizzy or cold so he wasn't losing much blood, but the more he spoke the more blood flowed down his throat and chest. "Just go. Everyone go. I can deal with this."

"You should probably stop talking." The dark voice near-purred in his ear. "You're ruining your shirt."

"Just a little foreplay before the main event, wouldn't you say?" Ryou whispered back to his unseen captor.

The slightest hint of pressure left his throat as the dark voice chuckled, still near Ryou's ear. "You bring up a valid point, and it is so much more fun to watch a victim bleed."

"Yeah, but you should really be pulling my hair tighter if you want a good arc in the blood spray when you cut my throat."

"Ryou!" Yugi shrieked, tears lining his bright eyes.

Marik's alter ego only laughed harder. "I think I know a little more than you about slitting a throat. I can manage without your commentary."

The knife still touched Ryou's skin, but it was soft enough so Ryou could talk without slitting his own throat. A queer shiver ran down Ryou's spine. He always said little morbid, off color comments about blood or terrors, but everyone always stared at him, forcing him to apologize for his macabre sense of humor. No one had ever bantered back before. He wondered if that's why Marik and Bakura got along so well. There was a certain thrill to verbal exchange, a true conversation and not the mindless chatter about the weather or college courses that usually filled Ryou's life.

Too bad his captor didn't see it as only a conversation.

"Think about what you're doing," Marik interrupted, his bangs falling into his hateful stare. "So you kill one of us, so what? Maybe you even manage to kill two of us, but you're still outnumbered and we'll put you down. This is your only chance to leave, unharmed. Just put the knife down and let Ryou go and we'll let you walk out of here. What you decide to do with your pathetic life is up to you after that."

"Don't call his life pathetic, Marik." Ryou heard his voice, but he never intended to speak. He didn't feel real, him nor the situation. It was a movie he was watching on the sofa, _him_ only as much as he could identify with the character on the screen, but not really _him_. "No one's life is pathetic."

Marik shot Ryou a calculating look.

Ryou frowned. "I already told you to get out of here." His eyes flashed to Yugi. "I can take care of myself. Trust me."

Yugi shook his head in disagreement. "No, you're trying to get everyone else out of danger without caring about what happens to yourself. I can't let you do that."

A thunder-strike of laughter echoed out of the other Marik's mouth. "What are you going to do, Little Yugi? We no longer have Millennium Items. This isn't a Shadow Game. It's just me and a knife. You move and I pull it across this little lamb's throat and his blood sprays across your face." He shifted behind Ryou, turning a little more towards Bakura and Marik. "And what would you do, tomb-thief? Hurts your pride that I have your old host, doesn't it? But if I kill him I'm going after _my_ old host next - so do you use the distraction to get the revenge you wanted for 3,000 years or do you save your old _partner_?"

Bakura's cinnamon-brown eyes glared tangible hatred at Marik's other half. Ryou was more afraid of that glare than he was of the knife against his throat.

Bakura's hatred only caused a fresh round a laughter to split the silence. "Or you can listen to your old host and get the fuck out."

"We'll leave." Yugi shook his head, his face pale and eyes huge. "Just let Ryou go and we'll all leave you alone."

"No." Marik's alter ego chuckled, petting Ryou's hair. "No. I think I'll keep this one as collateral for a bit. Don't worry, I'll only torture him... tonight. He's more useful alive until I figure out what I want to do now that I'm back."

Yugi shook his head. "Don't hurt him. Take me instead!"

"Atem, get him out of here!" Ryou shouted.

He didn't mind the knife to his own throat - he didn't even feel real at the moment, and you couldn't be hurt if you weren't real - but Yugi _was_ real, and Ryou couldn't bare seeing tears in Yugi's eyes.

Atem pulled at Yugi's arm. "Come on, _aibou_. We'll think of something."

"Always quick to sacrifice the pawn, eh Pharaoh?" Bakura spat on the kitchen floor, his hatred redirected at the Pharaoh once again.

"No one asked you," Ryou snapped. "Marik, you did all this to get Bakura back, now go. You have what you want - go! I hate you both! Get out of my fucking apartment!"

Marik gave Ryou an oddly pleased glance before grabbing Bakura's wrist. "Let's go."

" _He_ doesn't tell _me_ what to do."

"But why stay?" Marik smirked. "Do you care what happens to him? Are you going to cry like Yugi and beg for Ryou's life?"

Bakura opened his mouth and then clamped it shut. He turned to Marik's alter ego. "Anything you do to _my host_ I will return tenfold. Keep that in mind if you truly plan on torturing him." He began walking out of the kitchen, turning and calling towards the Pharaoh before he left. "And _our_ business has yet to be finished!"

"Yugi," Ryou called out before Atem could answer. "I want you to make a promise. _On our friendship_ , promise me something."

Yugi stared at Ryou, tears cutting down his cheeks. "What?"

" _Don't_ call the police. Give me until dawn, at least."

"No, by all means, call the police," Marik's other half taunted. "Your precious friend will be dead, and then I'll see how many others I can kill before they take me down. That sounds _fun_."

"Yugi, give me until dawn. If we're truly friends, then please trust me."

Yugi agreed with small, rapid jerks of his head as Atem lead him away.

Marik's other half pushed Ryou into the living room to watch everyone else go. When the door shut, silence rang into Ryou's ears. He closed his eyes. He found himself leaning into the heat of the other Marik's chest. Since moving away wasn't an option, and struggling would only kill him, Ryou figured he'd might as well be as comfortable as he could get. They'd been standing on the cold kitchen floor for over an hour while Marik chanted his spell, and Ryou's bare feet were a little numb from the cold. The other Marik's body heat was too tempting to resist.

"Thank you for helping me get them out of here."

"I wasn't helping you. I just didn't want to look at them anymore."

"Neither did I."

"Not even Yugi?"

"Especially Yugi. I can't think straight when he cries."

The other Marik gave a dry snort. "What do you hope to accomplish by dawn?"

"Probably nothing," Ryou said. "But I wanted you to have at least one real chance, without feeling like you were surrounded by your enemies, to decide how you want to live. It's your choice, and you deserve time to think about it."

"Why do you care?"

Ryou sighed. "It's my fault you're back. I knew Marik just wanted Bakura, I knew Yugi was too naive to figure out what Marik was doing. Hell, I even helped Marik convince Yugi to do the ritual."

"Why?"

"Because he wanted Atem back, and Marik wanted Bakura back. I felt sorry for them, but that's not an excuse. I still knew you'd return with them. This is the consequences of my actions."

Another snort. "Is that why you're so calm? You feel like you deserve this?"

"I'm calm because... I think I'm dissociating. When you don't even care because it's not happening to you? Like, it's happening to someone else, or it's not happening at all because it's not real. Or... maybe I'm just accepting it. I don't know. How much does it take?"

"How much of what does it take to _do what_?" the other Marik asked.

"Pain and loneliness. How much does it take before your mind splits up?"

Ryou heard a few tinks, and realized it was the sound of his tears striking his own Chef's knife. The knife lifted away from his skin, Ryou tilted his head to watch it's path. Marik's alter ego licked the mixture of blood and tears off of the high carbon steel with a long, pink tongue.

He snorted a third time. "Salty and bitter. I would have guess a little creampuff like you would taste sweeter."

A little giggle escaped Ryou's throat. Marik's other side raised an eyebrow, and Ryou shrugged.

"Creampuffs happen to be my favorite, so calling me that is... cute. I like it."

Marik's other half scowled, pointing the knife close to Ryou's eyes. "I did not say it to be cute. Just because I haven't started cutting pieces off of you yet doesn't mean you should smile at me like that."

"Am I smiling?" Ryou asked.

The knife drew a centimeter closer to Ryou's eyes, but then a noise interrupted the movement. The not-quite-Marik held his stomach as if his action could muffle the noise.

Ryou blinked his carob colored eyes. "W-was that your stomach?"

The other growled, glaring at Ryou. "Hey you, give me some food."

Ryou blushed, staring at his cold feet. "Yeah, okay, but... I haven't gone shopping so I don't have much. Would cereal be okay?"

The other Marik scowled. "I don't fucking care, just feed me - and stop smiling!"

"Sorry. I'm not doing it on purpose."

Ryou went into the kitchen. He pulled rice milk out of the fridge, and two bowls from the cupboard. He poured cereal into each bowl, leaving it out in case they were still hungry after one bowl. The way his guest ate reminded Ryou of a starved animal. He shoveled the food into his mouth, barely chewing. He poured himself a second bowl, then a third.

Ryou cradled his chin into his palm, watching the other. "What should I call you?"

"Marik."

"Oh please no. That's more confusing than everyone calling the Spirit _Bakura_ all the time. If we had two Marik's and two Bakura's it'd be even worse."

"I never had a name." The alter ego took the bowl in his hands and slurped up the leftover milk. Then he stole Ryou's bowl and did the same.

Ryou stood up and looked into his fridge to see if he had anything else to offer. He found a box of store-bought mochi and figured 2:30 AM was as good a time as any for dessert. He took one for himself and gave the rest of the box to his guest. "Could I call you Mariku so there's some distinction?"

He shrugged, cramming two dumplings into his mouth at once. "Don't care."

Ryou frowned. "Are... are you still going to torture me?"

Mariku grinned, shoving another mochi into his mouth. "The blood looks handsome on your throat."

"Wouldn't it be nicer if we were friends?"

"Fuck no. I don't need friends."

Ryou sighed, dropping his cheek onto the table. "I wish I didn't."

The chair scraped against the floor and Mariku marched towards Ryou, knife back in hand. Instinct drove Ryou to his feet. He scrambled backwards until his shoulders hit the fridge.

Mariku pressed the knife below Ryou's chin. "You won't need friends if I kill you."

Ryou closed his eyes. He couldn't protest or even swallow without causing the knife point to puncture his skin.

Mariku lowered the knife. "Scared?"

"Y-yes," Ryou said it because he knew it was what Mariku wanted to hear, although _numb_ was a better word for his real feelings.

"Good." He walked out the kitchen, turning over his shoulder. "Follow me."

"Huh?"

He pointed the knife in Ryou's direction. "I did not say _question_ me. I said _follow_ me."

"O-okay." Ryou jogged back to the living room.

Mariku took Ryou's cell phone off of the coffee table and tossed it to Ryou. "I haven't decided what we're going to do yet, but it'd be better if we weren't interrupted, so call your idiot friend and tell him everything is fine."

Ryou took a deep breath and exhaled as he dialed Yugi's phone number. The line only rang once before Yugi picked up the phone.

" _Ryou!_ "

"Yugi, stop crying. Please. I told you it would be okay."

" _Did you escape? Where are you? We'll come get you!"_

Ryou winced at the thought of having to spend the night with Yugi and Atem. "No, I'm home. Mariku's still here as well. We ate cereal and talked some things over and-"

" _He's still there? Ryou, I'm calling the police."_

"You promised you wouldn't, Yugi."

" _But he'll kill you!_ "

"Marik changed for the better - why can't his other half?"

" _Because - because he was the evil in Marik."_

Ryou couldn't help a soft, bitter laugh at Yugi's statement. "Trust me, Yugi. Marik's been in my head, there's no gradients of evil with him - Mariku's just a little more honest."

"Why do you keep calling him Mariku?"

"To avoid confusion." Ryou glanced at Mariku and he pointed his knife to a clock hanging on Ryou's wall. "Well, listen Yugi, I'm really tired and I think I'm going to go to bed now."

" _Wait! Ryou! Are you kicking him out? You can't sleep with him in your apartment._ "

Ryou felt himself scowl, not 100% sure why. He started talking fast into the phone. "Sure I can. It'll be like a slumber party, really. We're going to stay up until dawn watching horror movies and when we wake up we'll play Monster World. In fact, I'm thinking about asking him to stay here for a few weeks until he finds a place of his own."

Yugi started protesting again, but Ryou didn't pay attention to him. Mariku stood up and yanked the phone from his hand. "You heard him. I live here now and we're going to watch movies, which means he's done wasting his time with you on the phone." Mariku hung up and tossed the phone behind him. It landed with a thump on the carpet. He narrowed his eyes at Ryou. "You're smiling again."

"Well, you're funny."

"Me? Shit, you're a better liar than Marik."

"Apparently."

"What's a Monster World anyway?"

Ryou sighed. "My favorite table RPG, but no one ever plays with me because my campaigns are all blood-filled gore fests." Ryou's white brows knitted together. "Last time we tried to play, they kept insisting we play an old fantasy campaign - even after I tried to explain that one was _Bakura's_. I haven't played since. I was too pissed."

Mariku stared at Ryou. "Show me."


	2. Chapter 2

*****And thanks to Mooks for betaing the fic!*****

* * *

Ryou's heart tittered a little. His breath quickened, thick in his own throat. "Huh?"

"You said blood-filled gore fests. I want to see this game."

"O-okay."

Ryou ran to his craft closet and started pulling out cases in which he stored his Monster World items. He pulled out his latest diorama. It had a graveyard and a small hamlet surrounding a large mansion. "It's werewolves, mostly. I mean, there's zombies, and demons, and I have a serial killer quest in this one that mimics Jack The Ripper, but it's mostly werewolves. The kind that turn into large wolves, not the kind that look human."

"Can I be a werewolf?"

"Well, they're suppose to be the villains... I could probably adjust some stats to make them playable. I'd just have to adjust the level system so the game could stay balanced. Half a moment." Ryou scrambled to his laptop and started typing in stats.

He forgot all about knives, and boys with amethyst eyes, and even his cold feet as Ryou sat cross-legged on the carpet figuring out how to scale up both the monsters and leveling system while keeping the game interesting. "This won't be perfect, since I'll be winging some of it, but I think it'll be even more fun to play it this way." Ryou shook his head. "Why didn't I ever think of this?"

"Stop scratching your cuts. They'll get infected."

Ryou hadn't realized he was scratching until Mariku spoke. "I can't help it. The blood's drying."

Mariku grabbed Ryou's hair and pulled him to his feet. "Come."

"Ow. I can walk," Ryou said as Mariku half dragged him to the bathroom.

Mariku grunted and pressed Ryou against the wall again, using a damp hand towel to wash the blood away.

"Thanks, Mariku."

He looked up at Ryou, and then jerked his eyes away. "I'm not doing it to be nice. If your wounds get infected, you'll get a fever. I don't want you to be delirious when I carve you up later."

Ryou dropped his nutmeg colored eyes. "Oh... you're still going to? I-I thought maybe, since we were playing a game..."

Mariku chuckled. "Since when did me playing a game ever mean I was going to refrain from hurting someone?"

"I wasn't conscious for any of that. And honestly, I always thought it was a little stupid of Jounouchi and Mai to play a Shadow Game when they didn't have Items." Ryou held his breath for a moment when he realized he'd said something that mean out loud. "I-I mean, not that you should have hurt them. I, um, sure whatever you did was horrible, and I feel really bad for them."

Mariku chuckled, low and throaty. He leaned close, his breath warm. "There's a twisted mind behind that sweet face, isn't there?"

"I try to be nice. I just think scary things are fun. I mean, when they're fictional."

"Oh? Not having fun right now?"

Ryou's snowy lashes fluttered a little. He giggled. "Well... maybe this _is_ a little fun."

Mariku brushed his lips against Ryou's ear, making Ryou shudder before he whispered. "That was a rhetorical question. It was suppose to unsettle you."

Ryou whispered back into Mariku's hair. "I had the Ring. It takes a lot more than a kitchen knife and some clever lines to make me feel unsettled."

"Hmm... Wonder what I could do..." Mariku slipped his hands beneath Ryou's pajama top and skimmed his thumbs up Ryou's belly, pausing at his ribs. "Maybe a broken rib or two? That wouldn't kill you, but it might humble you a little."

Ryou held his breath and closed his eyes, trying not to gasp and arch into the touch. He didn't want Mariku to know how pleasant his hands felt on Ryou's ribs. If he knew, he may break something just to make sure Ryou suffered, and Ryou would much rather stand happily pinned against the bathroom wall while Mariku merely threatened.

Mariku kept firm pressure on Ryou's ribs. "No comebacks now, my sweet?"

Ryou shook his head. "No. I'm sorry. Please let go now."

His thumbs climbed up Ryou's chest one pair of ribs at a time. "Do you know there are twelve pairs? I could break several."

" _Ngh_." Ryou did start to arch a little, unable to help it as Mariku's hands climbed. Every touch was a thrill, and Ryou was having trouble pretending he was frightened.

"You look delicious when you squirm."

Ryou reached out, digging his fingers in Mariku's hair. He wasn't sure what he was about to do, besides tugging on Mariku's spikes. But before instinct could decide for him, a loud knock on the front door broke the spell and jerked Ryou back into the moment.

"Oh - dammit, Yugi," Ryou jerked his hands away from Mariku's hair and tore off his blood-stained top. "I better get that. Don't worry, I'll get rid of them."

Ryou ran to the door, trying not to look flushed or out of breath. When he saw the two officers, Ryou did his best to look surprised. "I-is something wrong?"

"There was a noise complaint. Someone heard screaming?" The police office frowned at Ryou.

Ryou felt completely naked instead of topless. He bowed as low as he could. "I-I'm sorry. My roommate and I were watching a movie. The volume was probably too loud. I promise to be more considerate to my neighbors in the future."

"Your roommate?" The other officer shone a flashlight beam into Ryou's apartment.

Mariku appeared from the hallway, smiling like a hungry cat. "We'll make sure we keep it down the next time we _watch a_ _movie_."

Ryou's face burned with Mariku's insinuation. He wished he had a shirt on more than before.

The police lectured them for a moment and then left. Ryou shut the door, ground his teeth, and spun around. "Why'd you have to say it like _that?_ "

Mariku grinned. "Like what?"

"Like we were doing something kinky."

"Got rid of them, didn't it?"

"But that's not socially acceptable in Japan!"

"What? Sex?"

"Not when it's two guys."

Mariku snorted. "I don't care."

" _I_ care." Ryou marched to the diorama and plopped down to the carpet on his stomach.

"So why didn't you turn me in?" Mariku asked, his voice softer than before.

"I want to be a werewolf." Ryou lifted his eyes up to look at Mariku.

Mariku lowered himself to the carpet, crawling on hands and knees until he loomed above Ryou. He flipped Ryou on his back and pinned Ryou's wrists over his head. "Doesn't that mean I have to bite you?"

"You have to roll for initiative first."

He released Ryou's wrists so that Ryou could grab a pair of ten-sided dice. Ryou rolled a 63 and Mariku rolled a 17.

"Dammit."

Mariku licked his lips with a broad tongue. "So I take it the low number wins?"

"A double zero acts like a critical while a 99 is a fumble, so yeah..."

Mariku bit into the crux of Ryou's neck and right collarbone. Ryou shoved his left wrist into his mouth and bit down to muffle his scream. Pain and pleasure blended together until he couldn't tell them apart anymore. Ryou bucked up and squirmed. He dug his nails into Mariku's bicep, still biting on his opposite hand, and just when his brain was starting to draw a line between the conflicting sensations, Mariku started lapping at the teeth marks he'd left in Ryou's white skin.

His teeth had been a mixture of pain and pleasure; however his tongue was simple bliss. Ryou moaned into his wrist, jerking his hips up to press his body harder into Mariku's as he lapped and sucked at his throat.

Ryou lowered his wrist and caught his breath before speaking. "You're a werewolf, not a vampire."

"Wolves like the taste of blood _and_ flesh." He pushed himself up on his arms, bodyweight still firm against Ryou. He stared at Ryou's flushed face and frazzled hair, looking confused. "You're not afraid."

"Um... I'm sorry, but we never actually established if my character was afraid or not. You didn't chase me; you just bit me. And I did say I wanted to be a werewolf, so that suggests my character came to your den on purpose, but now I'm going to have to roll for fortitude to see if I survive the attack or not. I should really be narrating all this better so we don't get confused."

Mariku grabbed Ryou's hair in one hand and his throat in the other, pressing him hard against the carpet. "Not in the game. _You_. You're not afraid!"

Ryou stayed still, breathing slow and shallow through the light pressure on this throat.

Mariku moved his hand from Ryou's throat. "Why aren't you frightened?"

"I am... a little," Ryou whispered, brushing stray hairs away from his burning cheek. "But..."

"But what?" Mariku growled, not unlike the wolf he was supposed to be portraying through roleplay.

"I don't know. This is nice. You're warm, and on top of me, and your hand's in my hair-"

"It's suppose to hurt."

"It does a little bit. That's why it's so nice."

Mariku clamped his mouth shut, thinking. He started laughing. "What a surprise you are, a little dove that enjoys when the snake bites."

"Oh, that reminds me." Ryou reached out for his dice. He had to feel around for them because Mariku had him pinned. Once in hand, he tossed them to the side. "What did I roll?"

Mariku's lilac eyes darted to the side. "Three."

"Oh good."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I survive your bite. Specifically, it means that I don't even get sick from it. I'll wake up a werewolf in the morning."

"Why did your character want to be a wolf?"

Ryou shrugged. "In this world it seems like everyone is food except the wolves or Hunters." Ryou winked. "I think I like the company of wolves better. What about you? How did you become a wolf?"

Mariku stared at the diorama. "I was born one."

"Ah, remind me when you first level up. I think there's a racial bonus for that."

Mariku glanced at Ryou. "Does it really feel good? My hand in your hair?"

Ryou blushed. "I mean... it'd be better if we were fooling around while you did it, but on its own... it's a little exciting, especially while pretending we're werewolves."

Mariku grinned, leaning closer to Ryou's mouth. Ryou's breath stuck in his throat. He licked his lips, anticipating a kiss. On a whim, Ryou reached up and slipped his fingers through Mariku's hair.

"Ah," Ryou gasped. "Your hair's so soft."

He combed close to Mariku's scalp, moving in upward strokes. Mariku purred. His own fingers slacked as he began petting Ryou in return.

"That's nice, too. My scalp is sensitive from the tugging, so that's really nice."

Mariku gave a single grunt in answer, settling down on top of Ryou's chest as they ran their fingers through each other's hair. Ryou began to hum.

"That's pretty."

"It's from a horror movie."

"Keep humming."

"Well." Ryou smiled against Mariku's chest. "I really have no choice. I don't want you to break my ribs."

"You're such a good pet," Mariku teased. "So obedient."

Ryou hummed again, toying with Mariku's thick, regal spikes and curling up in his body heat until they were both asleep on the floor.

* * *

A pounding on the door dragged Ryou from his sleep. "Go away," he murmured while he snuggled into the broad, warm chest beside him.

But the pounding didn't go away and muffled shouts joined in, so Ryou stumbled to his feet and pulled the door open.

"Yugi? Atem?" Ryou rubbed his eyes, forcing them to focus. The light stung and his head throbbed. He'd gotten maybe two and a half hours of sleep and all Ryou wanted to do was crawl into his bed.

Yugi wrapped his arms around Ryou, crushing him with surprising strength. "I'm so glad you're okay. I called three times."

"Sorry." Ryou glanced at his phone on the floor. "I was knocked out. Uh, not literally. Just sleeping. Come in."

"What's he still doing here?" Atem asked with a slight frown.

"Sleeping," Ryou answered.

"But... why didn't the police arrest him?" Yugi asked.

"Because he wasn't doing anything illegal."

"He was holding you hostage."

Ryou's brow furrowed. "Actually, when the police came, he was cleaning up the cut on my throat."

Atem and Yugi exchanged an unsure look. Atem shifted his mauve eyes to Ryou. "What about the bruise on your wrist?"

"What bruise?" Ryou blinked, looking at both his wrists. "Oh. I did that. Our Monster World game turned into sort of a LARP."

"And the bite mark on your neck?"

Ryou pursed his lips together. He didn't exactly appreciate the Pharaoh coming into his apartment and lecturing him like he was Ryou's long lost father. He understood they were concerned, and appreciated the sentiment, but he hadn't slept enough for an interrogation. "What about the bruises on Yugi's neck?"

Yugi jumped at the statement, blushing and holding the spot on his neck where three, small purple bursts of color marked the skin.

Ryou walked towards the kitchen. "I'm sorry, I should be offering you tea. Where are my manners?"

"Ryou, wait." Yugi chased him into the kitchen. "It's not the same."

"How do you know it's not the same?"

"I don't have _teeth marks_."

"Well, I'm sorry if Atem was only half-way into it."

"Ryou! What's gotten into you? You sound like Bakura."

Ryou held his breath to control his temper when he heard the comparison. In a way, it was almost flattering to be told he was a little like the snarky, confident Ring-Spirit, but it irked Ryou that any comments he made that were less than _friendly_ would be forever compared to the spirit that once possessed him - as if Ryou himself didn't have a right to sarcasm.

"I'm sorry, Yugi. I'm tired."

Yugi watched him for a moment while the water heated in the kettle. "Look... I'm sorry if - if you're hurt because..." Yugi looked away. "I know we were getting close."

Ryou exhaled the breath he still held. His eyes fluttered close. "It's okay. I mean it. I'm okay with this. You belong with Atem - even I know that. What hurts - what feels like betrayal - is that you called the police when I asked you to trust me." He opened his eyes so he could look at Yugi. "And then you guys come here and started grilling me before I even had a chance to wake up."

"Well..." Yugi shrugged. "You have a way with getting into trouble. Like how you stole the Ring back after Battle City."

"You didn't have a right to lie to me about having it."

"I didn't want you to get hurt."

"Then you should have been honest. Although, even if you had, I may have reminded you that it was the Spirit that protected me from Slifer when I came to bleeding on a blimp with no idea what was going on."

"And then I'd remind you that it was the Spirit that got you into that predicament in the first place."

Ryou grinned. "Yeah, him and Marik."

Yugi smiled back, the tension in the air somehow smoothed over. "Yeah, what's up with them?"

A shrill, steaming whistle blew from the kettle, and Ryou fixed four cups of tea. "That's a long story, and I don't think the Ring-Spirit would like me to tell it. He comes off like a lovestruck hero in it."

Yugi shook his head. "But I guess things didn't turn out since Marik's other half got the Ring?"

"Sometimes I think he lost that duel on purpose."

"Ha! No way. He'd never lose anything on purpose." Yugi took two of the cups from Ryou, adding sugar to one and milk to the other.

"If he'd won, Marik's body would have been destroyed. He'd never admit it, but I don't think he could handle that thought."

"It's still strange to think about... Then again, so is the thought of you sleeping with Marik's other half."

Ryou opened his mouth to correct Yugi, but it somehow turned into a smile as he carried the other two tea cups to the living room. "What can I say? I'm a sucker for boys with spiky hair and purple eyes."

Yugi rolled his own purple eyes, following Ryou into the living room. Atem stood over Mariku's sleeping figure. It frightened Ryou, to see Atem standing over Mariku's helpless form with the look of a ruler wanting to sentence a criminal to his death. Ryou found himself setting down his teacups and gently leading Atem away from Mariku and towards the sofa.

"Don't wake him up," Ryou said, trying his best to smile. "He looks like an angel when he's asleep. It would be a shame to ruin that."

Ryou pulled a throw off of the couch and used it to cover Mariku's shoulders. He knelt on one knee, petting Mariku's hair for a moment before sitting in his favorite oversized chair and caging his fingers together while looking at Atem and Yugi.

"Thank you," Ryou began. "for being concerned, and for checking up on me to make sure I was okay. But you have to understand that it isn't fair to summon Mariku back from the Shadows, and then displace him onto the streets." Ryou nodded towards Yugi. "You said you wanted him to have a second chance, but he can hardly do that with nothing but the clothes on his back. How long do you think it'd take before a street gang picked him up? And how long until he's running said street gang? How long before he's more powerful than the Yakuza?" Ryou shook his head, as if to deny his own scenario. "Him staying here is better for everyone. I get it if the other's don't want to come around the next time everyone meets up. I get it if you're unhappy about this. But it's my decision, and I want Mariku to stay here."

"What if he hurts you?"

Ryou frowned. "He won't." He paused, trying to think of how to explain. "I'm part of his pack now."

A loud yawn interrupted the conversation. Mariku stretched out on the floor, an artwork of gold and bronze. He blinked his eyes opened and frowned, looking around as if he didn't know where he was. When he saw Ryou, he smiled. Mariku stood up, walking straight to Ryou's chair and half-draping himself across Ryou's lap and chest so they both fit into the single seat.

"Ryou, don't talk to the food. You'll get attached."

Ryou's fingers went straight for Mariku's hair, combing and smoothing stray hairs back into their spikes. "These humans are my friends. Don't eat them."

"Shouldn't I have to roll a Will save to see if that's even possible?"

"Do you feel like getting the dice?'

Mariku frowned, opting for nuzzling Ryou's shoulder instead. "Fuck it. I'm too tired to get back up."

Ryou pressed his forehead against Mariku's. His mind felt like a buoy bobbing in a turbulent lake. Ryou exhaled, almost falling back asleep until his exhausted brain reminded him that he had company.

"Oh." Ryou gasped, jerking his eyes back open. "Sorry, I almost dozed off there."

"Shut up. I'm trying to," Mariku mumbled.

Atem and Yugi both looked surprised.

Ryou tilted his head. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Yugi stood up, smiling. "Maybe you're right, Ryou. Come on, Atem. We should let them rest."

Atem nodded, following Yugi.

Yugi walked up to Ryou's chair. "If you need anything, call me, okay?"

"Sure," Ryou said.

Yugi leaned in to hug Ryou goodbye, but Mariku snarled, making Yugi jump back.

"Don't touch Ryou. He's mine."

Yugi pursed his lips. "Fine." He scruffled Mariku's hair and then jerked his hand back before Mariku could do anything about it. "I'll touch you instead."

"Get the fuck out of my apartment!" Mariku grumbled.

Satisfied with his game of counting coup, Yugi took Atem's hand and they exited the apartment. Ryou unwound himself from Mariku and stood up, locking the door. "Well, that was a nice, friendly, passive-aggressive morning."

"Those guys are assholes," Mariku mumbled.

"Don't worry, I don't think they'll be back for a while now that they're convinced you won't kill me."

"I never wanted to _kill_ you. I just wanted to _torture_ you, and you ruined that by _liking_ it."

"My sincerest apologies." Ryou smiled. "I'm going to bed. Want to come with, or would you prefer the couch?"

"Like hell I'm sleeping on the couch." Mariku stood up.

Ryou walked to his room. He turned around to see Mariku disrobing. "Um..."

Before Ryou could finish his half-formed thought, Mariku tackled him onto the mattress. "Now that those assholes are gone, we can go back to sleep."

Ryou flushed at the sight of Mariku's naked chest. He gave a grunt of agreement, and then sighed in disappointment when Mariku rolled to his own side of the bed. They lay in silence, but Ryou couldn't drift off because Mariku kept tossing from one side to the other.

He grabbed Ryou's shoulders and growled, breath tickling Ryou's face. "You piss me off."

"Sorry?"

He turned away from Ryou, a bashful look twisted his usually angry features. "I can't sleep unless you run your fingers through my hair. Do it. Now."

Ryou grinned. Both his face and his coffee-colored eyes lit up at the command. His hands lifted to stroke through the soft strands of gold. "You don't have to order me. I love touching your hair. It reminds me of an angel's hair."

Mariku snorted. "An angel of death."

Ribbons of sunlight broke through the blinds in Ryou's bedroom. They struck the gold in Mariku's hair and made each spike glow like and angel's flaming sword. "A golden haired angel of death," Ryou whispered. He started humming themes from some of his favorite horror games, mostly Silent Hill music.

Mariku's fingers twitched. He reached up, and then jerked his hands back down as if debating his actions. After another moment he grabbed two fistfuls of ivory hair. Ryou gasped, his cheeks and lips blushing with the rough pull. Mariku's eyes studied Ryou, his thick lips parted. The hold on Ryou's hair diminished, softer... softer... and then it wasn't a grip but rather a series of soft caresses.

Ryou couldn't stand it. His hands already lost in Mariku's hair, he leaned up and pressed a soft kiss against Mariku's lips.

The former alter ego jerked away, falling off of the bed and staring at Ryou as if Ryou stabbed him. Ryou stared back, steady and calm. Mariku blinked. For a moment, his face burst into a kaleidoscope of emotion, but the moment past and he lunged back onto the mattress, holding Ryou's jaw and attacking his lips with clumsy, wet presses of his full lips.

Mariku interrupted his novice attempts of kissing with a precise bite. He tugged on Ryou's lower lip, skilled in his violence, and Ryou accepted Mariku's teeth as eagerly as he accepted his lips. Mariku pulled away, going to the bite wound on Ryou's neck and ghosting his lips across the bruised flesh.

Ryou gasped, shut his eyes, and held his breath, trembling. It wasn't the pressure on the bite, though it did sting, it was the gentleness Mariku used. It was too unexpected - Ryou couldn't guard against it. It felt like Mariku's lips slipped past Ryou's skin and touched his soul.

Mariku pulled back, tugging hard on Ryou's hair once again. He kissed Ryou's lips firmly, but with more finesse than his first attempts. Ryou gave in to the experience, allowing Mariku to drag them through each kiss, their chests pressing together and sweat dappling their skin.

Lost as he was, Ryou clung to Mariku, his arms circling and palms smoothing over Mariku's lateral muscles. Mariku called out, breaking their chain of kisses.

"Did it hurt?" Ryou jerked his hands back.

Mariku panted, staring at Ryou with lavender fire in his eyes. "No one's ever touched my back before."

"Never?"

"Maybe when Marik was a child, but not since he created me."

Ryou shook his head. "I'm so sorry." He reached out, drawing over each scar with his fingertips and filling in the spaces between with the barest of touches. "You deserve better than you ever got."

A savage growl rumbled low in Mariku's throat, but the anger in it wasn't directed at Ryou. Ryou's hand rubbed circles along Mariku's lower back and teased up and down his spine. Ryou sang again. It was only _You're Not Here_ from Silent Hill, but that song felt right - the proper mix of horror and love. Ryou Bakura could not comprehend when having a knife to his throat changed into the privilege of touching the old remains of wounds so damaging that they tore a child in half, but that was what Mariku and Ryou had somehow become - horror and love.


	3. Chapter 3

*****Too tired to write an AN. Hope everyone like the ending. Disclaimer - lemon*****

* * *

They'd fallen asleep in a tangle, with only Ryou's thin pajama bottoms keeping their bodies separated from each other. When Ryou woke up for the second time that day, he felt groggy but well rested. Yet as he drew closer to consciousness, he realized a weight sat on his chest, an incubus waiting to tempt him, but the weight wasn't familiar. It wasn't Mariku.

Grudgingly, Ryou blinked his eyes open. A white form haunted his vision. "Ring-Spirit?"

"I knocked but there was no answer, so we let ourselves in."

Ryou turned his head and noticed Marik leaning in the doorway.

"Great," Ryou mumbled under his breath. "First my ancient Egyptian stepfather comes to lecture me, and now it's my ancient Egyptian fairy-godmother's turn."

A dry snort of laughter huffed from Bakura's throat. "Just making sure you're alive and in possession of all your limbs. I half expected to find a corpse in here when you didn't answer the door."

"Sorry. We didn't really sleep last night."

Bakura smirked. "Neither did we."

"I brought a suitcase of old clothes," Marik said from his spot at the door.

"Thanks." Ryou nodded. "Guess I should do the same."

"Oh, I already helped myself while you slept."

"Well." Ryou sighed. "It is what it is."

"So, I take it you're okay." He glanced at the sleeping Mariku. "You seemed to have tamed the beast. I wish Marik was half as easy to subdue."

Marik snorted. "You wish no such thing, Bakura."

"I know it's stupid, but have you ever fell so into place with someone from the moment you first met that you can't help but - what am I saying?" Ryou laughed. "Of course you have."

"No." Bakura crossed his arms over his chest. "I have no idea what you're rambling about."

"Bakura, we don't have long to catch our plane."

"Plane?" Ryou asked.

"Yes, Host, I'm afraid we're getting the fuck out of Domino."

"That's safer for the Pharaoh, but how did Marik bribe you into that plan?"

Bakura slicked his white hair back, the batwings popping out of place again the moment he removed his hand. "We may or may not stop by Luxor to visit Marik's sister and desecrate a certain Pharaoh's tomb."

Ryou hid his mouth behind his hand as he laughed.

Bakura stared a moment. "What? No declarations of friendship? No stern words?"

Ryou shrugged. "Nope. Have fun storming the castle."

Bakura snorted, but Ryou knew he caught the reference by the way his mouth twisted into a not-quite grin.

Ryou nodded. "Well, I guess this is goodbye, then."

Bakura shrugged, but also looked away. "Yeah, whatever."

Ryou glanced at Marik. "I know you were being selfish, but I'm glad you talked us into bringing them back."

Marik gave Ryou half of a grin.

"Actually-" Bakura began, but before he could finish, a tanned hand shoved him off of the bed.

"Don't touch Ryou. He's mine."

Bakura growled, pushing himself up to his feet. "He was mine first, and you'll never be able to change that. "

Ryou folded his hands into his lap. "If we're going to be specific, you were mine. I was the last owner of the Millennium Ring and you were part of the Ring." He smiled. "So, basically, I owned you."

"But you were my host."

"Only when I chose to wear the Ring. I could have given you away to Yugi."

"You wouldn't have dared," Bakura hissed.

Marik's laugh made Bakura's head jerk to the opposite end of the room. "Not. One. Word. Marik."

Marik's laughter settled down. Instead, he licked his lips to tease Bakura, inciting a low growl from the back of Bakura's throat. Marik grinned and Bakura glared, but after a moment, Marik flicked his eyes towards the doorway and Bakura sighed. "Yeah, yeah. Catch our plane."

After Bakura left the room, Marik turned towards Ryou. "You should probably go and check the suitcase full of clothes he stole. Make sure there's nothing in there you want to argue for."

Ryou sighed, pushing himself away from the covers. "Not that it'll do any good to ask for my own stuff back, but I guess I really should take inventory of what I'm losing."

Ryou found Bakura standing and waiting in the living room. "So." The former spirit raised a white eyebrow. "You mentioned getting a lecture from your ancient Egyptian stepfather?"

Ryou rolled his eyes a little. He answered with a high, mocking tone. "Don't let Mariku stay with you. He's dangerous. He'll kill you. Why do you have teeth marks on your neck?" Ryou's brow knitted together. "I have teeth marks on my neck because he won the initiation roll and got to attack first, not because I'm a helpless victim. There's a difference."

Bakura's eyes trailed over to the diorama still lying on the floor. "You know... I was a little freaked out last night when we left. I know I was never... pleasant, but the thought of you being dissected didn't sit well with me."

Ryou chuckled. "You looked pissed, not concerned."

"That too, but once I got to Marik's place I screamed at him for just walking away."

"Well, yes, I'm sure a good argument was a nice bit of foreplay for both of you."

Bakura gave Ryou wry look. "He set you up, you know."

Ryou tilted his head. "Who set me up for what?"

"Marik. You accused him of being selfish for bringing me back, but he knew how things would turn out between you and his other half - before he asked you and that runt to cast the spell with him."

"Bullshit."

"That's what I said." Bakura scowled. "But he insisted. He knew it was a gamble, but thought you'd win by the end of it." Bakura huffed, turning away again. "Now I owe him a blow job because he was right."

Ryou thought about what Bakura said, absentmindedly checking his suitcase full of his clothes meant for a trip he wouldn't be taking. "Do I still own anything black?"

Bakura shrugged.

Ryou sighed, stealing one of his favorite long-sleeved undershirts from the pile. "Fine. Keep everything else."

"So nice to have your permission."

At that moment, both Mariks walked into the living room. The original Marik had a secretive smirk on his face; his shadow blushed and Ryou wondered what sort of conversation they could have possibly had to leave Mariku looking so thoughtful and embarrassed.

"Mariku? Are you okay?" Ryou asked.

He turned away, unable to look in Ryou's direction. He sat in "their chair" with his arms crossed over his chest. He wore a pair of pants Ryou didn't recognize, presumably one of the second hand ones given to him by Marik.

Marik kept on as if he didn't notice Mariku's strange expression. "Ready, Bakura?"

"Yeah." Bakura nodded, chuckling to himself. "Let's go."

Ryou stared at them for a moment, feeling like he should say something. "Don't get caught defiling the Pharaoh's tomb." Ryou smirked. "Do you think his mummy will curse you for meddling?"

"Curses are nonsense." Bakura grabbed his suitcase and walked towards the door.

"Yeah, totally not real like logical things. Y'know, spirit-possessed artifacts, Shadow Games, the dead coming back to life..." Ryou smiled. "Anyway... take care."

"Get the fuck out of my apartment." Mariku curled his legs up to his chest.

Marik only grinned at his counterpart's ire. "Remember what I told you." A single laugh accompanied his words and then he added, "Have fun you two."

"Yeah." Bakura's expression was as tickled as Marik's. "Don't do anything we wouldn't."

"I told you to leave!"

They did, and Ryou stood confused in the living room. "Okay, what in the world did you two talk about?"

"I'm hungry. Feed me."

Ryou laughed. "I'm hungry too, but we're out of cereal. Let me take a quick shower, and then we can go get something to eat before we go grocery shopping."

Ryou tied his hair back as he walked to the bathroom. As he focused on untying the knot on his pajama bottoms, a pair of warm, cumin colored hands smoothed across his stomach. Ryou shouted in surprise, relaxing as soon as he registered Mariku's touch. "You scared me."

Mariku gave a single grunt for an answer, nuzzling Ryou's hair and teasing his stomach.

"I..." Ryou sighed. "Need to take a shower."

"I know."

"Um... people take showers alone, Mariku."

"Not this time."

Ryou sighed, capitulating. He slipped his pants off, gasping when Mariku's hand slid down a few inches to explore the newly exposed skin. Ryou leaned forward to turn the water on, but that made him press against Mariku's front, and Ryou realized Mariku already had his pants off. Ryou closed his eyes and swallowed.

His white feet matched the tiled floor. Thick curls of steam dressed them as they crowded close to share as much of the stream of hot water as possible. Mariku took the soap and rubbed it between his broad, wet hands until a heavy layer of lather filled his palms. Next, he grabbed Ryou and started rubbing him down with soapy hands.

Having never been naked with another person before, Ryou blushed. The cute, pink flush on his face darkened to a heavy mauve when Mariku reached between Ryou's legs. One hand slid up and down Ryou's shaft until he was hard, the other curved lower and back until Ryou felt a sud-lubed finger slip inside of him.

Ryou jerked, circling his arms around Mariku's neck to keep himself from falling to the wet tile below them.

Mariku added a second finger, letting go of Ryou's shaft and pulling their bodies closer together. Ryou moaned, closing his eyes and leaning into Mariku's shoulder. He wasn't sure what to do or how to react, so he stood there, leaning against Mariku, and waiting to see where the former alter ego would take the situation.

"Tonight," Mariku growled into Ryou's ear, emphasizing his word with a solid thrust of his fingers. "You're mine."

Ryou squeezed Mariku's neck in response, incapable of words. He didn't want to wait until that evening. He wanted to climb Mariku like a tree right then and there, but he couldn't move with his limbs trembling the way they were, so he stayed in Mariku's hold and imagined what that evening would bring.

Mariku still experimented with his fingers inside Ryou, changing the depth and angle of his movements. A wide, sinister grin illuminated his face. "There," he whispered.

He'd pressed into Ryou as he said there, and Ryou cried out a surprised shriek. Several additional whines followed as Mariku continued to press up.

Satisfied with Ryou's reaction, Mariku pulled away and started to run down his own body with soap and scrub his hair with shampoo. Ryou stood, panting and watching, desperate for more, but somehow knowing he was being forced to wait.

He rinsed off and grabbed his towel from its drying rack. Ryou opened up his linen cupboard, trying to hand a clean towel to Mariku, but before he could pass it on, Mariku shook out his wild spikes like a dog.

Ryou covered his eyes from the drops, frowning as he pushed the towel into Mariku's chest. "Really?"

"It worked."

"The mirror's spotted now."

"Who cares?"

"I do. I'm the one who cleans the bathroom."

Mariku shrugged, unremorseful. He jumped back into the olive green cargo pants he wore before, and paired it with a black tank top that looked exactly like the one he wore during Battle City. After they dressed, they went out for takoyaki and then went to the closest supermarket.

Normally, Ryou had a list, but recent events had him unprepared for a proper week's worth of meal planning. Ryou tried to stick to staples he knew he'd need. Rice, noodles, vegetables, fish, and tofu. "Mariku, do you want beef?" Ryou asked, turning around when he didn't hear an answer. "Mariku?"

He couldn't see him. Ryou spun around, searching every direction and checking the nearest isles. His heart pounded as he searched, partly because he didn't trust Mariku alone and loose in the world yet, and partly because he'd gotten use to Mariku being a clingy shadow and felt naked without him nearby. "Mariku?"

The sound of something being thrown into his basket made Ryou jerk and spin around. He saw Mariku standing near the cart, looking sheepish. "That's the kind Marik told me to buy."

Ryou blinked and checked his cart, noticing a bottle of silicone lubricant. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears as he stared at the bottle. "Oh. Yeah, I guess we do need that, don't we?"

"Apparently."

Ryou blinked. "Wait, was that what Marik talked to you about this morning?"

"Are we done? I don't like being in places with so many people. Makes me wish I'd brought my knife."

"You mean my knife," Ryou corrected, possessive of his kitchen gear.

"Mine now, creampuff."

They checked out and left the store. Mariku carried all but one of the bags, and Ryou couldn't help but smile as he thought of how nice it was to have someone to go shopping with and help carry everything. When they made it home, Ryou made shrimp spring rolls, light on the onion, heavy on the mint.

They spent the rest of the afternoon playing Monster World. The quest started with deer hunts in the forest, and sheep raids on nearby farms, but as they leveled up, Ryou started slipping in the occasional victim.

Mariku rolled a double zero on his attack.

"You leap into the air, catching her throat and ripping it wide open. Your mouth fills with the copper taste of her blood and it covers your muzzle as you begin to feed."

Mariku grabbed Ryou and sat him in his lap. He pushed Ryou's white hair over his shoulder so he could nuzzle and kiss the nape of Ryou's neck. "Really? Tell me more," he purred as he slipped his hands beneath Ryou's shirt and started caressing Ryou's stomach.

"Ah, ahhh, um, she n-never had time to scream. Her husband aims a pistol at you."

Ryou rolled the dice - 82. "His hands are shaking, so the bullet goes wide. You don't even notice as you feed because... ah, because... the... hunger... let's go to bed, Mariku."

Mariku's fingers continued to meander up Ryou's chest, teasing Ryou's nipples while Mariku continued kissing the back of Ryou's neck. "Don't you want to play for a little while longer?"

"No, not at the moment."

Mariku chuckled, twisting Ryou's nipple. "It's not even dark yet.."

"I'm tired." Ryou hitched up as Mariku bit a little harder. "Please."

"Mmmmm... beg more."

"Please," Ryou whispered again. He shifted in Mariku's lap until they sat face to face, allowing Mariku, once again, to control their kissing. "Please," Ryou gasped between breaths. "Pretty please."

"But that farmer is still alive."

"It's my attack." Ryou grabbed the dice, cheating the throw to also roll a crit. "There. I ripped his stomach out. We feast on their corpses and go back to our den in a haze of lust while drunk off of their blood."

"Were you even in wolf form?"

"Yes," Ryou hissed, surprised by the strength and impatience in his own voice.

Mariku laughed. He moved Ryou off of his lap so he could stand up, lifting Ryou up bridal style and carrying him towards the bedroom. Near the bed, Mariku set Ryou down on his feet.

"Undress for me. Slowly. Make me want you." Mariku sat down on the edge of the bed, crossing his legs and staring at Ryou.

By the heat on his cheeks, Ryou knew his complexion was a mess of coral. He took a deep inhale and exhale, calming himself, trying to think of how the Ring-Spirit would act in a similar situation as a sort of guide for his own actions.

Ryou toyed with the hem of his shirt, bring up one corner to show a peek of white skin as his other hand tousled his long hair. His right hand dropped from his milky locks and dragged down his own chest, stopping at the hem of his shirt to raise it a little higher. He pulled the shirt up over his shoulders, dropping it to the carpet below. Ryou walked forward a few paces, teasing the skin of his collarbone and sliding his slender fingers down to his waistline, toying beneath his jeans, touching areas of flesh that Mariku could not yet see.

"Good," Mariku encouraged, his voice a low purr. "Keep going."

With permission, Ryou unbuttoned his pants and lowered his zipper. He allowed them to hang loose on his waist as he swiveled his hips in a small dance. Insecure, Ryou kept moving as best he could, spurred on by the burning lavender gaze that never left Ryou's body. Ryou swung his waist in figure eights, lowering his jeans a little more with each backwards curve of his hips. He dropped them to the floor and then did the same with his boxers. Naked, Ryou stepped forward again, pausing when he reached Mariku.

Mariku stood. His eyes gave a silent command, and Ryou began pulling the shirt up over bronze shoulders, kissing the deep copper chest. Ryou looked up, staring at Mariku and dropping to his knees. A snap instead of a button held Mariku's pants together at the top, so Ryou used his teeth to pull the metal clasp apart and then used his fingers to drag the zipper down. With both hands, Ryou tugged the pants down to the floor.

Mariku stepped out of his clothes, grabbed Ryou's hair and guided Ryou's mouth towards his erection. Ryou opened his mouth wide and allowed Mariku to control the in-and-out motion as he thrusted into Ryou's mouth. With a quick jerk, Mariku pulled away, and Ryou moaned in protest, licking his wet lips. Hand still in Ryou's hair, Mariku pulled Ryou to his feet and shoved him down on the mattress, face-first.

He grabbed the new bottle of lube and spent a moment saturating Ryou and his fingers both before shoving two fingers inside. Ryou exhaled through his nose, his breath already struggling to stay calm.

Mariku spent a long time toying with Ryou, moving in and out, circling, scissoring, occasionally teasing Ryou's prostate in order to make his partner scream into his pillow.

"I'm ready."

"You're ready when I say you are." Mariku added another finger and started the process all over again.

Ryou fisted the pillow he was using to censor his noise level. He tried shifting back into Mariku's touch, desperate for more, but Mariku held Ryou's hips in place with his large, strong grip.

"Mariku!"

"Yes, my sweet?"

"I'm ready."

"Not quite."

Ryou reached for his own erection in defiance, but Mariku grabbed his wrist and twisted it behind his back. He hunched over Ryou, whispering in his dark, coarse voice. "Only I get to make you cum, Ryou."

His voice and his words made the muscles in Ryou's belly twist and shiver. "Then make me cum!" Ryou shouted, no longer concerned about embarrassment or noise complaints.

Mariku pulled away his fingers and Ryou moaned at the loss, afraid he was being punished somehow for his back talk, but Mariku grinned. "Yes. Now you're ready."

He let go of Ryou's wrist, placing his hand back on Ryou's hip. Mariku used his other hand to guide his long, slick shaft completely into Ryou's body. Ryou screamed again, shoving his mouth, opened wide as he screamed, against his pillow until it was damp with spit. Mariku paused, dragging out the experience, insuring Ryou adjusted to his size and girth.

Mariku began easing out a few centimeters and then easing back in. Ryou clawed at everything in reach - pillow, sheets, headboard. The sensation was expansive and completing and each slide made Ryou's body twitch in pleasure.

He rested on his forearms and knees, ass up in the air and face buried in his pillow. There were no delusions of self control - Ryou was a well-loved rag doll, a toy for Mariku to play with as he wanted. And Ryou enjoyed every second as he was reduced to a mindless, screaming plaything.

Mariku slipped his right hand along Ryou's pale thigh. "Are you ready? Is it time for me to make you cum?"

Ryou wailed yeses into his pillow, twitching and climbing at the mere thought of Mariku touching him, so much so that when it happened, it only took a moment before Ryou spilled out onto the sheets.

"Good," Mariku praised again. "Yes." He leaned closer as he moved. Mariku's lips tickled Ryou's spine as he spoke. "Now it's time for you to make me cum, Ryou."

Ryou moaned, closing his eyes as Mariku's soft, erotic words spiraled straight into his core.

Mariku sped up, pounding harder into Ryou's body. Ryou cooed, whispering endearing nonsense to Mariku as he moved. Mariku gasped, curling close and tight to Ryou's body. The burning of friction soon gave way to the warmth of seed, and then Mariku was turning Ryou over so he could hide in Ryou's white, thin chest.

Ryou hummed, and combed Mariku's hair with his fingers. Mariku reached out, face still hidden, and twined his own fingers through foam-white strands of Ryou's hair in return. They stayed like that for a while, not talking, simply lying in each other's arms as Ryou hummed music from his favorite horror flicks.

The light outside faded and the room grew dim, but before the room went fully dark, Mariku looked up at Ryou and smiled. Ryou's breath caught in his throat. Mariku's hair was in a state of pure entropy, and a few beads of sweat still clung to his temples, trapping stray gold threads against his cumin-colored skin. Mariku's eyes were wide and bright, a little sleepy, but at the same time thoughtful. The smile itself wasn't a smirk or malicious grin. It was a smile, a true one. It was the first time Ryou ever saw Mariku happy without any traces of violence or anger. Ryou suspected it was the first time Mariku had ever felt honest and true happiness. Knowing that he himself helped cause that emotion made Ryou smile as well.

And years later, when Mariku asked, Ryou would explain that it was at that precise moment that Ryou had fallen in love.


End file.
